“Sex and the City” actor Chris Noth is denying sexual assault allegations made against him by two women who came forward to The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor, who plays Mr. Big in the franchise and its spin-off “And Just Like That…”, was accused of rape by both women, according to the Hollywood Reporter’s article, published Thursday.
Zoe, 40, and Lily, 31 — pseudonyms that THR used to protect their identities — alleged that the incidents occurred more than a decade apart in Los Angeles in 2004 and New York in 2015, respectively, according to THR. The two women approached the publication “separately, months apart” and do not know each other, the magazine said.
THR corroborated Zoe’s claims that she told people about the incident and went to the crisis center. The publication corroborated that Lily shared the incident with her friend, and reviewed text messages exchanged between the woman and Noth.
NBC News has not corroborated the accounts of these two women.
In a statement to NBC News on Thursday, Noth denied the allegations.
“The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false. These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross,” he said.
He continued: “The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.”
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department told NBC News that “the department is still looking into the nature of the report and trying to narrow down when, where if it was filed.”
Andrew Brettler, an attorney for Noth, told NBC News that, “no one from any law enforcement agency has contacted Chris or any of his representatives. Obviously if anyone does reach out, we will cooperate fully. “
After she graduated from college in 2004, Zoe worked an entry-level job for a high profile firm where Noth and other celebrities did business. Zoe said Noth got her number from the directory and started leaving messages on her work phone — a claim which her former boss confirmed.
At some point, the actor invited Zoe to a pool at a building in West Hollywood, where he had an apartment. In August, she and a friend visited the building with a “best friend from college,” who confirmed going to the pool and sitting with Zoe and Noth in the jacuzzi.
There, Noth asked several questions about her studies in college and left a book before taking a call inside his apartment. Later at some point, Zoe said she went to his apartment to return the book, but she alleges Noth “kissed her as she stepped through the door.”
She said the kiss wasn’t alarming, but “he then pulled her toward him, moved her toward the bed, pulled off her shorts and bikini bottom, and began to rape her from behind,” according to THR.
“It was very painful and I yelled out, ‘Stop!’ And he didn’t. I said, ‘Can you at least get a condom?’ and he laughed at me,” Zoe told THR.
Zoe’s friend took her to Cedars-Sinai, where Zoe said she received treatment for an assault and two police officers stopped by. Because she was fearful that they wouldn’t believe her and that her job was in jeopardy, Zoe said she didn’t publicly name Noth. The hospital told THR they do not keep records dating back to 2004.
Zoe said she “started having nightmares and flashbacks” and found it “hard to concentrate at work,” THR reported. In January 2006, she eventually sought counseling for the alleged assault at the University of California-Los Angeles Rape Crisis Center, which Julie Banks, the center’s director, confirmed to THR, adding that “it is not uncommon for survivors of sexual assault to put off seeking treatment.”
Lily said she met Noth in 2015, while she was a server at the now-shuttered New York nightclub No. 8. There, she claims Noth was flirting with her, got her number and asked her out to dinner.
According to THR, Alex, Lily’s friend, told the magazine she advised her not to go. But at some point, Lily eventually did meet Noth for dinner at the restaurant, where she said they talked about her job and career trajectory over drinks. As the restaurant was closing up, Zoe claims “Noth invited her to his apartment around the corner” to sample his collection of whiskeys.
When they were at the apartment, Lily said: “We were listening to music, and he has all these books about art and fashion. He tried to make out with me. I cautiously entertained it. He’s older and looked older. He kept trying and trying and trying, and I should have said no more firmly and left.”
“And then the next thing I knew, he pulled down his pants and he was standing in front of me,” she alleged, adding that “he thrust his penis into her mouth.”
After bringing up he was married with children, Lily said he allegedly said marriage was a “sham” and that monogamy was “not real.” Shortly after, Lily alleged that he started “having sex with me from the back in a chair. We were in front of a mirror. I was kind of crying as it happened,” according to THR.
Once it was over, Lily said she went to the bathroom and put on her skirt, where she said she was “feeling awful. Totally violated.”
She later called an Uber and phoned her friend Alex, who told THR that she was “pretty hysterical” and said Lily told her Noth “pretty forcibly” had sex with her. Lily said she did not remember making that call with Alex.
The next day, Alex said she listened to a voicemail left on Lily’s phone, which she alleges he said: “‘Hey, hope you didn’t take anything wrong last night. We had fun. Just want to make sure you didn’t take it the wrong way.’” Lily’s account differed slightly from Alex’s, saying that he left a voicemail that said: “‘I had a nice time and would really appreciate it if you wouldn’t talk to your girlfriends. If we could keep this between you and me, that would be great.’”
Between March and April, Noth and Lily exchanged text messages, which THR reviewed. In one message, Noth wrote: “By the way I have to ask did you enjoy our night last week. I thought it was a lot of fun but I wasn’t quite sure how you felt.”
In response, Lily wrote: “Hmm…I certainly enjoyed your company. Great conversation. Not to go into specifics over text message, but I did feel slightly used… Perhaps this is better as a phone conversation but I can’t talk at the moment.”
The actor said he hoped to meet again for dinner or drinks, according to Lily, who responded in a “friendly but noncommittal way,” THR reported. The two never met again.
Noth is best known for his role as John James Preston, the husband of Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City.” He reprised his role in the highly anticipated HBO Max’s revival, “And Just like That…”
The series premiere drew outrage from fans of the franchise for killing off Noth’s character after he suffered a heart attack following a Peloton ride.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
